Pokemon GO's launch impacted society in some dramatic ways. Millions of players across the world took the opportunity that Pokemon GO's gameplay offered and began outdoor excursions searching for Pokemon. The result was that Pokemon GO quickly became massively popular. It was so popular, in fact, that some saw an opportunity to conduct a study on what Pokemon GO may have unintentionally accomplished. Specifically, a study is claiming that Pokemon GO's launch may have materially lowered depression.
The study, conducted by Zhi Cheng of the London School of Economics, focused on an interesting metric to reach its conclusion. It parsed depression-related search data across 166 regions in 12 different countries before and after the launch of Pokemon GO, taking into consideration the differing launch dates between regions. Search results included the terms "depression," "stress," "anxiety," and "fatigue." Two of four of these search terms saw notable decreases following the launch of Pokemon GO.
More specifically, the study says that consistent decreases in the search interest of both "depression" and "stress" were found. "Anxiety" and "fatigue," however, the study says did not see an impact on search intensity due to Pokemon GO's release. Based on these results, the study claims that the release of Pokemon GO was associated with a "significant short-term decrease" in depression-related searches, and so that it may have resulted in the decrease in the prevalence of "local rates of depression."
To be clear, the study says that "like any short-term treatment" the symptoms of depression returned once treatment is abandoned. In that regard, the study found that the short-term decrease of depression-related search terms faded over time. In other words, the benefits of playing Pokemon GO fade when no longer playing. Seeing that trend, the return of depression-related search results over time following Pokemon GO's launch, further confirms the idea that the launch can be attributed to the decrease to start with.
Before anyone leaps to conclusions, the study itself acknowledges that the focus of it is the relationship between Pokemon GO and depression-related trends -- not specifically depression itself. While it does conclude that games like Pokemon GO may provide short-term relief from mild depression, its conclusion is a rallying call for more research into the relationship between technology and mental health.
Whether Pokemon GO's gameplay helps with depression likely depends on the player. There's clearly no "cure" to depression. But requiring that players go outside and travel around their neighborhoods, embracing walking, running, or bicycling, seems to make Pokemon GO persuasively healthy on its own. This study seems to reinforce that, and Pokemon GO deserves to be acknowledged for its accomplishment.
Pokemon GO is available now on iOS and Android devices.